President Lays Emphasis on the Unity of the Baltic States in Solving Energy Problems

2008.02.08

Friday, February 8, Vilnius – President Valdas Adamkus received Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis, currently on a working visit to Lithuania.

The Latvian Prime Minister extended congratulations on the 90th anniversary of Lithuanian Independence and noted that the Baltic States share a similar history of statehood.

The meeting primarily explored avenues of solutions to energy problems. Valdas Adamkus expressed hope that the Baltic States would maintain their unity in the process of creating energy independence. He underlined the necessity to search for economically efficient and environment friendlier alternatives to the gas pipeline Nord Stream. Mr. Adamkus said that the Amber pipeline could be among such alternative projects already supported by Estonian and Polish leadership.

“Our Polish colleagues have requested the European Commission to finance a feasibility study for this project. Estonia and Lithuania supported and signed the application. I hope Latvia is going to back the project too,” Mr. Adamkus said.

The Lithuanian President and the Latvian Prime Minister discussed the projects of electricity bridges with Poland and Sweden. The discussion highlighted the vital importance of creating a Baltic electricity ring to counter the shutdown of the Ignalina nuclear power plant.

The Latvian Prime Minister underlined the importance for the Baltic region of building together a new Ignalina nuclear power plant.

Ivars Godmanis noted that a coordinated EU energy policy would help in solving multiple energy problems and ensure the usefulness of regionally developed projects for all EU states. President Adamkus pointed out that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia should unanimously pursue a more rapid implementation of this policy. The problem of ratifying the Lithuanian–Latvian sea border agreement was also discussed at the meeting. “Lithuania and Latvia do not encounter any serious problems in their relations, therefore we must solve the aged problem of the ratification of the sea border agreement,” Mr. Adamkus said and reminded that it was already a third Latvian president he was bringing up this issue with. Topical international issues were discussed at the meeting.